Medical Commission

Nutrition Brochure

30 July 2014

The IOC and its Medical Commission are pleased to provide athletes with an updated brochure, developed under the leadership of the IOC ‘Nutrition’ working group, in close collaboration with the IOC Athletes’ Commission. This booklet contains information that will help athletes to make informed choices to meet their nutritional needs in different situations.

Health Legacy of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

2 June 2010

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is the publisher of a 191-page book "The Health Legacy of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games: Successes and Recommendations", which shows that public health in Beijing benefited from the Games. Benefits cited include improved medical and water services, attempts to restrict smoking and an increase in health awareness among athletes, visitors and China's residents.

Sports Dentistry and Sports Physiotherapy

25 July 2008

Sports DentistryTeeth are just as important as any other part of the body to the athlete and his athletic performance. With this booklet, you will discover the appropriate tools to protect your teeth, improve dental health and prevent dental injuries. So take care of your teeth and they will take care of you!

Sports Physiotherapy: treatment – prevention – recuperationAs risks are inherent to the practice of sport, one of the priorities of the IOC Medical Commission is to provide effective medical advice and care for the athlete. This brochure is therefore intended to minimise the risks of sports injuries for a maximum of sports participation, in particular at the Olympic Games.

Encyclopaedia and Handbooks of sports medicine

1 March 2004

The IOC Medical Commission has been publishing the Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine in collaboration with Blackwell Publishing, Ltd. (Oxford, England) since 1988. Each volume of the Encyclopedia includes up-to-date and state-of-the-art information on a particular medical/scientific area of sports medicine and sports science. A large team of internationally recognized experts contribute the 40-50 chapters that make up each volume. The Encyclopedia is intended for the use of sports medicine doctors, exercise and sport scientists, physiotherapists and athletic trainers, and graduate students in the sports sciences and allied health professions.

The IOC Medical Commission publishes handbooks devoted either to a single sport or to topics of importance for conditioning and preparation for competition in a variety of Olympic sports. Each Handbook presents basic clinical and scientific information in a clear style and format as related to specific sports events drawn from the Olympic Summer and Winter Games. Each handbook is written by a small team of authorities coordinated by an editor who has international respect and visibility in the particular sport activity. The contributors present practical information for medical doctors who work with athletes, team coaches who have academic preparation in basic science, physical therapists and other allied health personnel, and knowledgeable athletes. Each volume represents up-to-date information on the basic biology of the sport, conditioning techniques, nutrition, and the medical aspects of injury prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation.

Nutritional Supplements

4 March 2004

Since 1997, the IOC Medical Commission has been concerned about positive results that could be linked to the use of nutritional supplements. The present lack of regulation concerning these in certain countries, including the USA, has led the IOC to intervene, and it has issued warnings on several occasions, particularly with a view to alerting athletes. At the same time, the IOC has approached various government bodies, seeking the introduction of quality controls for these products like those applied to medicines.

Given the lack of response to its different approaches, the IOC decided to fund a study into a large number of samples. The conclusions of this study have just been published, and confirm the scale of the problem. In view of these findings, the measures taken previously will be pursued.

Until concrete results are achieved, the IOC will continue urging athletes to avoid using these nutritional supplements. At the same time, the IOC recommends that its partners within the Olympic Movement (International Sports Federations and National Olympic Committees) exercise extreme caution with regard to the firms that produce these nutritional supplements.